Policy framework established through careful, meticulous, methodical planning – Dr. Singh
–emphasises administration’s people-centred approach to development

AS Guyanese wait in anticipation for Budget 2024, the government has maintained that it is steadfast on the path to bettering the lives of all Guyanese, through a people-centred approach to policy-making.
On Saturday, President Dr Irfaan Ali visited the Ministry of Finance where the staff is working around the clock to present the budget tomorrow.

The President stated, “Planning for a budget is a lot of work. When many people enjoy their Christmas holidays, the Minister of Finance and his team would normally work through [that] period to get us ready for the national budget.”

Furthermore, as the President met with the team, he gave a breakdown of how the profile serves as a management tool.
“Each project has a very detailed profile. Now there is an important reason also,” the President said while explaining that the profile gives insight into a project’s duration, the type of funding, among other key elements.

Against this backdrop, he stated that the profile is essential for the Auditor General because when he is conducting his checks, the profile indicates the purpose of the project.
He then expounded on the challenging job of distilling the policies in figures, which is a responsibility that lies at the feet of the team at the Ministry of Finance.

Even though each year Guyanese sit in anticipation to hear the budget speech, Dr Ali related that it is just a summary of highlights.
Hinting at what’s to come, Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, stated that the budget will be rolling out the government’s fiscal plans for 2024 coupled with the ongoing implementations that were laid out in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) 2020 manifesto.

“We as a government, we pride ourselves on the clarity of our policy objectives and on our policy continuity. We don’t make policy in a hazard manner…we are careful, meticulous and methodical in setting out our policy framework,” he said while explaining that not only is the government transparent and consultative but also consistent with implementation.

“What you will here on Monday is a wide range of interventions… all of which are aimed to improve people’s lives… and to create opportunities for personal upliftment,” the Finance Minister said.

PEOPLE-CENTRED APPROACH
During the Pre-Budget 2024 interview on Friday, the minister stated that unlike the previous coalition administration, the PPP/C government always stays committed to having a consultative approach to policy-making.

“Our tune is not different in government from when we were in Opposition. The things that we said we will do in opposition are the things we said we will do when we get into government and when we got into government are the things that we implemented,” Dr Singh asserted.

He added, “Unlike the APNU+AFC, we don’t formulate policies in our conference rooms, or in our offices. We listen to people. We have a President who is constantly on the ground listening to people. We have a cabinet that is constantly on the ground listening to people.”

Deeming it a “hallmark” for this government, the Finance Minister said that policy continuity is something that they are proud of since they do not “hop and skip” from policy to policy or abandon them.

“The things that we implement in our budget, our successive budgets are things we promised in our manifesto and are the things that people voted [for]… and expected [us] to deliver.”
He also stated the government is methodical in its approach to policy formation and always takes the time to analyse the global economy to frame the policy response accordingly.

“If you were to dissect everything we have said and everything we have done and every major policy document that we have issued, you will see that the consistent objective underline all that we have done is improving the well-being of all of the Guyanese,” he related.

Diversified growth and bettering citizens’ lives are at the top of the list of objectives that the PPP/C aims to produce.
Moreover, he stressed on the efforts being rolled out to not only ensure that the environment is one that can provide jobs for the people but also put money back into their pockets.

“In every sector of government operations, there’s a consistent approach and that consistent approach is always aimed at improving people’s lives,” Singh remarked.

He then went on to say: “So maintaining strong economic growth is an important policy objective for us, not because economic growth is an end by itself… but because economic growth can and does translate into economic well-being and the well-being of communities and households, etc…”

Pointing out the false hope and the effort to attract votes, Dr Singh expounded on how the APNU+AFC administration did not deliver on any of their promises in their 2015 manifesto.

For instance, instead of creating more opportunities for Guyanese, in 2017, the former APNU+AFC Coalition Government announced the closure of several sugar estates across the country, leaving thousands of persons without jobs or a source of income. The move saw four sugar estates being closed and over 7,000 sugar workers losing their jobs.

The Rose Hall Estate, prior to its closure, was “home” to some 2,500 sugar workers, but 1,181 of those were retrenched. The remaining workers from the Rose Hall Estate were transferred to Blairmont Estate over in West Coast Berbice and Albion Estate on the Corentyne.